California health officials plan on vaccinating college students in Santa Barbara with a drug for meningococcal infection not approved for use in the United States.

The state sought federal permission to administer Bexsero, made by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG and the only vaccine currently able to ward off serotype B of the meningococcal bacteria, which can attack the nervous system as meningitis or cause a deadly blood condition.

Meningococcal bacteria broke out at the publically-funded University of California, Santa Barbara last fall and so far four students have been afflicted, including one male who had to have his feet amputated as a result.

The onset of the bacteria in the Golden State is similar to the one that, also last fall, struck eight at Princeton University in New Jersey -- where students lobbied for and won approval to use Swiss-made vaccine.

Most other strains of meningococcal bacteria can be controlled with a vaccine that is widely available in the United States.

Amid concerns about meningococcal disease, which is highly contagious among people living in close quarters, such as college students staying in on-campus housing, an effort was launched to gain access to Bexsero, which has not been submitted for federal approval, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Princeton students were able to receive the vaccine after the CDC intervened on their behalf.

In California's case, however, the CDC said it wanted to wait and see if the infection spread to more people.

So far, no additional cases have been reported at the university.

Regardless, Mary Ferris, UCSB's health director, said in a statement addressed to students, parents and employees that university officials were going to make the vaccine available to students free of charge, starting in the next few weeks.

Novartis announced it would coordinate with the CDC, the university and the California Department of Health to make sure Bexsero would be available to the school's population.

The company indicated it has already given U.S. officials documentation from its European studies to show that the vaccine is effective and safe, and it is working on a version of the drug for eventual use in the States.